Thursday, 28 May 2026
Fundraising, MND stories
More than 100 Team Doddie runners took part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival last weekend, tackling challenging hot weather conditions to raise vital funds for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
Among them was Charlotte Webber, one of the Foundation’s volunteers, who ran her local marathon in memory of her mum, Lindsay, who died from motor neuron disease (MND) in 2023.
“Volunteering with My Name’5 Doddie Foundation became a huge source of support during a time when I felt so powerless,” Charlotte said ahead of the event.
“Knowing I was doing something to help move us closer towards a cure gave me hope that things could get better for people like Mum.”
Charlotte described her mum as facing every stage of the disease with “courage, pragmatism and humour” - qualities she carried with her throughout marathon day.
Kenny and Emily Roger also completed the marathon together in memory of Kenny’s dad and Emily’s grandpa, Peter Roger, who died on Christmas Eve in 2021 after living with MND for four years.
Emily described her grandpa as “the kindest man” and said she hoped to continue his legacy through fundraising for a cause that meant so much to him.
“As an avid rugby fan and MND warrior, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation seemed the perfect fit to raise money in support of finding a cure for this heartbreaking illness,” she said.
Reflecting on the marathon, Emily described it as “one of, if not the hardest thing” she had ever done, with the unusually warm conditions making the challenge even tougher.
“The heat was such a killer and it was so tough even from the halfway point,” she said.
“Though we were exhausted, the views out in East Lothian were glorious.”
Throughout the race, support from family, friends and the crowds helped carry them through the tougher moments - especially seeing Emily’s granny, who cared for Peter throughout his illness, waiting to cheer them on from the sidelines.
“We know how proud she is of us and how proud grandpa would have been,” Emily said.
During the hardest stages of the marathon, Emily said she and her dad reminded themselves how lucky they were to be able to run at all.
“As Grandpa was so active, it was heartbreaking to watch him become housebound, and so we exercise for all the times he missed out on it,” she said.
Crossing the finish line together was an emotional moment for both of them.
“We knew how lucky we were to even complete a marathon and how much we wished we could have been met with grandpa’s smile at the end,” Emily said.
He would have been delighted to have seen us raise money to support finding a cure, and simply to have seen his son and granddaughter carry each other through and finish together.
Gary Woods completed the Edinburgh half marathon in memory of his uncle, Geordie, who died from MND last year, as well as his great uncle who was also affected by the disease.
Taking on his first ever half marathon, Gary described the day as “an incredible experience” despite the soaring temperatures.
“The temperature was unreal and God bless all the residents who were out with hoses, water and oranges - I can’t thank them enough,” he said.
Gary praised the support from fellow runners and the crowds around Edinburgh, saying their encouragement helped carry him through difficult moments during the race.
“There were a few times I started to struggle, but people dragged me through it,” he said.
“I remember another runner in a My Name’5 Doddie Foundation shirt saw me struggling and started shouting encouragement at me.”
Reflecting on why he took on the challenge, Gary said losing Geordie was the biggest motivation, reminding us that MND doesn’t discriminate.
“It’s hard to believe this disease can take someone as big and strong as my uncle and effectively waste him away to almost nothing,” he said.
Before Geordie died, Gary and his sister were able to tell him they would both be taking part in support of My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
“He was so proud,” Gary said.
“But honestly, he’d probably have been up there with a Fosters and three barrels laughing his head off saying, ‘look at those two neeps.’”
A huge thank you to every runner, supporter and volunteer who helped make this year’s Edinburgh Marathon Festival so special. Every mile completed and every donation made helps fund vital research into effective treatments, and brings us closer to a world free of MND.
Spaces for 2027 are now open, so if you fancy pulling on the tartan and taking on the challenge for Team Doddie, you can find out more and sign up here.
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